


Differences and Similarities

by just_another_fandomite



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Loki - Freeform, Loki/reader - Freeform, Marvel Cinematic Universe - Freeform, Marvel Universe, Other, Thor: The Dark World, loki laufeyson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-02-10 13:04:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12912510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_another_fandomite/pseuds/just_another_fandomite
Summary: Scene takes place somewhere during Loki’s imprisonment in Thor: the Dark World (but as if the events involving the dark elves never occurred). Reader is a Midgardian mutant who somehow found their way to Asgard many years ago, but has been an inmate in the prison as well for some time. They finally meet one another after a prisoner transfer puts her within speaking distance of the trickster.





	1. Prisoners, New and Old

Loki was sitting calmly in the cell he had now come to call home this past month, silently reading one of the newest tomes his mother, Frigga, had brought him recently. It had been a week since he had last seen the woman he called his mother, and missed her, but knew due to his current predicament that frequent visits were not a perk or a guarantee. So he settled with appreciating the gifts and furnishings she could provide him, and refused to reveal any feelings on the matter.

He never spoke to any other inmate in the area around him, the trickster merely deemed them all not worthy of his time or patience. He’d only speak if it was Frigga, or if he was required to give verbal responses to a guard, but for the rest of the time he kept to himself. This standard, however, was about to change.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

I’d been living in my lovely 7 foot by 7 foot cell for the past 5 years now, and had every centimeter perfectly memorized at this point. My lavish furnishings consisted only of a couple ratty and torn blankets tossed to one of the corners, which I called my bed. There was of course the doorway that had me sealed in by a wall of transparent gold energy. There was also a window near the ceiling of my cell, and while most would probably consider this a blessing to have a view of fresh air and sky, due to my specific powers, this was an insult. And a deliberate one.

My attire was really no better at this point. I wore what I were captured in, which was plain, loose gray pants, cut off at mid-calf, and a loose navy blue shirt. I had no shoes at the time of capture, so that was how I also was: barefoot. My feet had become immune to the cold floor after the first year. I was at least thankful that I seemed to be done growing by the time I was first put in here, because I doubt anyone would’ve provided me with anything new to wear. My hair was now also grown out and long, as well as tangled and messy, for showers were offered but not regular.

While I had abilities, nothing was given to me that would suppress them, but any powers I had couldn’t get past that gold energy wall, no matter how hard I tried, they could only be used inside my confinement. The first year I was here I spent in vain trying and somewhat failing to use my unique abilities to get through that door, just something to help me escape. But I soon found it was useless, and accepted my fate. And there was of course no point in even attempting utilization of my other powers, this cell was entirely too small for them.

And so that window mocked me. For half a decade. As it would be sure to mock me for more years to come, because who knew how long my sentence was?

Apparently that question was going to be answered, for two guards marched up to my cell opening and peered through, neither with any scrap of pleasantness in their faces. But I merely gave a tired smile, for I always expected that, given my “crime”. However, my smile faded to a look of confusion when they deactivated the energy wall and ordered me to stand, a pair of heavy-duty restraints in their hands.

“Wait, why? Where am I going?” I inquired.

“A prisoner transfer involving (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N) has been ordered,” one of the guards answered curtly, the hint of disgust in his voice. I’d learned fairly early that my “kind” was not thought highly of here amongst the gods and other immortals.

“Fine,” I sighed, lifting my wrists towards them to receive the cuffs, “but you still haven’t said /where/ I’m being taken. And can I least bring my blankets? As crap as they are, I’ve become rather attached,” I quipped.

“It’s your lucky day,” the guard answered in a tone that said this was anything but lucky, “you’ve been promoted to group imprisonment. Make some friends.” So, essentially a death sentence. Only certain people could survive group imprisonment, and that was only the people as like-minded as the other psychopaths and murderers down there.

He then locked the handcuffs around my wrists. I was immediately hit with a feeling of fatigue, as if all the strength I had stored was suddenly sucked away. My legs buckled under the shock, knees slamming against the stone floor as I released a sharp gasp.

“W-what the hell…?” I manage to get out, looking in confusion to the guard.

“Can’t have you trying to escape, now can we? These are new, they’re power-dampening restraints. No sorcery, nor any little birdies trying to fly the coop,” he let out a low laugh, gloating tinging the edges of the sound.

I let out a small groan as I picked myself back up, refusing to be degraded any further by this asshole. A small misleading smile found itself on my face, as I knew I couldn’t really have anything worse done to me at this point. I had nothing really to lose.

“Ah, yes, but of course,” I responded innocently, but faster than they could react, I swung my head forward, cracking my brow against his nose. As his blood began to flow excessively, my knee shot up into the man’s groin. It may have been a few years since I last had a real fight, but it was still muscle memory and I tried to keep up exercise best I could in that cell.

While the first guard was doubled over, from obvious lower pain, as well as trying to stop his nosebleed, the second guard grabbed me by the bicep and knocked his sword pommel against my temple. Not hard enough to fully knock me out, but enough to make me dizzy and mess with my vision. I knew I’d be sporting a good bruise on my face later, and I could feel blood sliding down the side of my head. But I still took pride and comfort being sure in the fact I broke the other man’s nose. I definitely wasn’t going to get to take my blankets now. Still worth it.

“You filthy worm! Ah, gods!” The first guard yelled in pain, attempting to straighten his nose.

I now sagged due to new head trauma, the other guard roughly supporting my weight. But I smiled maliciously at other man.

“Oooo, very original, I’ll add it to the list. But I’m sure you can do better than that,” I taunted him, my words slightly slurred, some black spots still decorating my vision, “go on and take me away boys, the scenery was getting boring anyway."


	2. A Challenger Appears

Loki was still immersed in his book when a small commotion could be heard down the main corridor, growing louder as it got closer. His level of interest amounted to him just looking up from the pages, the slightest hint of curiosity in his eyes. Only a few of the other inmates in the cells around him also looked up at the sound evidently coming their way. Loki quirked an eyebrow in surprise when upon finally seeing the source of the commotion. Two guards finally marched through the doorway, hauling your struggling body between them. It was quite a sight, to say the least. In addition to one guard having blood running down his face from his nose, which clearly looked broken for some reason, the other guard was now sporting the beginnings of a black eye as well as a split lip. Watching your violent struggle to get free of your handlers, it became obvious to the onlookers that you were the cause behind these injuries. You yourself were sporting a minor facial bruise and a bleeding cut on your temple. You might be someone to be wary of.

Loki continued to watch as you were half-dragged to the opening of the multi-inmate cell across from his, the hint of a smirk on his face. Taking in your appearance, he could see you had been here for while, making your resistance notable. You were also one of the very few women in the community cells. It was also hard not to pay attention when you were also growling out obscenities towards your two armored escorts the entire time.

“…. hope you both rot in Hel, because you can BET I’ll be coming down to see you pieces of shit later, you fuckin asshats,” you didn’t yell like a lunatic, rather just ground out each promise and insult in a low, dark tone, “….drop the swords let’s go a few rounds see who fuckin wins when the odds are even buddy, let’s go-”

Loki doubted your pleas for an “even fight” were necessary, if the current state of your guards were any evidence.  The cell’s energy field disappeared long enough for you to be roughly shoved inside, just barely catching yourself as you stumbled several steps in. Raising the energy barrier back up, the two guards turned to leave the way they came, quietly complaining about the nuisance you made yourself. After studying your tense form for a few moments longer, he turned his attention back to his novel.  
———————————————————————————————————————————

I rubbed my upper arms in an attempt to relieve the dull throb leftover from being manhandled down several floors and through several halls. Taking in the surroundings of my new “home”, I took note of the more important aspects. 

Firstly, I were now in a much bigger cell (probably 20 feet by 30 feet), and two energy barriers, one main “window” that took up the whole side of the cell facing the hallway, and one smaller one for removing or adding prisoners. The cell itself was pristine white, kinda like a hospital, which set you more on edge. Hospitals meant a bad time, best to avoid them.

Next, I sized up my company. This new cell was was also home to about 7 other inmates. All male, except for one other female, but she looked just as big and nasty as the rest of them. Probably not to be considered for an ally, she looked pretty friendly with some of the meaner tenants here. Of the other prisoners, some looked more human, and the rest were alien to me, ranging from a being who looked like a pro wrestler but with a skeletal head and ash-grey skin, to a giant creature that vaguely resembled a minotaur. I knew my chances of alliance, and by extension survival, depended on how well I could meld into this new setting. I could probably more easily align myself with the more human characters, but this was still asgardian prison. Things worked different here.

Finally, I gave a look around outside my own cell. This floor was drastically different to the cupboard of a cell I'd been living in. For starters, the floor to ceiling barriers allowed me to see the whole area, and the cells themselves were cast in a sterile white, unlike the gray stone I’d slept on for years. Should this be considered an upgrade? Questionable, when you take into consideration the fact that not only was I now sharing a cell with several people, but the other cells could also see everything, same as me. No more privacy. No more solitude. My five years of peace and quiet seemed to be at a close. 

However, there was one thing that stuck out to me. Out of the five other community cells in addition to mine, the sixth, there was a seventh (and eighth) cell placed directly in the middle of the floor, like a middle row between the other two.

What was strange about this one cell was the fact that while it was about as large as mine, it held only one tenant. A tall, lean man, with long wavy hair as black as Odin’s ravens, and wearing a simple, but still sophisticated dark green tunic. This man's cell also contained nearly all the furnishings of a noble’s room, meaning he must’ve been either important at some point, or had high connections somewhere. It just gave me more questions.

Even though the man was sitting quietly in a chair in the corner of his cell, reading, every inch of him gave off the feeling of danger. Like a snake lying still in the grass, unseen until it leaps at you at the best opportune moment. But there was a small part that also spoke of the possibility of there being more to be considered under the surface. An intriguing character.

Unfortunately, I’d spent just enough time analyzing the dark, quiet man, that I hadn’t noticed a few of my new roommates stalking over for a chat. My focus snapped over just in time to see the wrestler woman, a humanoid male, and one of the biggest Kronan I had yet seen.

“Well well well, would ya take a look at the fresh meat,” the Kronan growled, arms crossed.

“I’m not sure how accurately I’d swing around the term ‘fresh’, but whatever makes you feel better,” I retorted.

“I’d watch that tongue of yours, missy, before it’s ripped out,” the female snarled, taking a step closer, attempting to more tower over me. I could hear the few other inmates snickering maliciously off to the side. Ah, if only they knew who I really was.

“Ooooo, I’m shaking in my nonexistent boots,” I drew my own up to my full height, and then some. This kind of scene was never a stranger to me, I knew how this had to work for me to make it long in here.

“I say we offer a lesson in manners to the poor snack,” the smaller man sneered with a leering grin. At first glance, he seemed simply an asgardian, but when looking closer you could see he had a green tint to his skin, reptilian scales along the edges of his arms and face, and slit-pupiled eyes.

“Do your worst, Lizard-Breath.”

I could’ve used my powers. Honestly, I had more than enough room than I was used to, and I had enough motive. The fight wouldn’t even have happened. But I needed my usual long-term plan to work.

To conclude, I basically got the shit beat outta me. Nothing new, really. In addition to the cut on my temple, which was now reopen and bleeding again, I was now sporting a split lip, my left eye half swollen shut and most likely starting to bruise, and I was probably going to gain several bruises on my rib area. Yes, I did throw a few punches, I didn’t want to seem completely inept for a long term prisoner. Space Rhonda Rhoussey now also had a beautiful black eye, and Snake Boy had a split lip and bruise on his cheek. But I was very clearly the loser in this equation.

And I meant it that way.

I dragged my sore body over to a vacant corner, which happened to be the one closest to the solitary man’s cell. Coughing, I turned my head and spit out some blood. Whatever. I’ll heal quick enough. It was one of the many upsides to my powers.

I leaned my back back against the wall and closed my only eye still open, attempting to get some sleep. It’d been long day. However, right before nodding off, I caught a glimpse of the man in green very subtly looking my way, eyes slightly narrowed in questioning.


	3. Darkness is, in Fact, an Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: hello! First off, sorry it took so long to update, life happened, as did a minor mental block. Also, I realize now that I did not fully clarify something correctly in the fic summary: while this DOES take place around the time of Dark World, the only thing that is the same is the fact Loki is now in prison, like the movie, but this certain storyline currently does NOT intend to include any events involving the dark elves (also means Frigga is alive). But thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy! Please always feel free to send me any comments or questions you have!

That night was to be wholly different, I can tell you that right now. 

A long while later, the call for “lights out” was made and the whole floor was draped in darkness, save for a very dim light still left on by the entrance. It cast just enough warm luminescence to cast shadows, black and gray shapes cast upon the cell walls like eerie cave paintings. A welcoming sight. 

I had since moved myself from a sitting position against the wall, to one of lying flat on my back staring at the blank white ceiling. Thanks to my healing abilities, I could tell that I had maybe another day before being almost back to “good as new”, physically at least. These powers seemed to work from the inside out. Any internal injuries I ever acquired were the first to heal, broken bones, internal bleeding, etc. Then it went on to fixing surface injuries, cuts and bruises and whatnot. This was good for two reasons. One, internal injuries are usually the worst, and the ones most likely to ultimately kill you, so better to get those out of the way before a simple black eye. Two, this allowed for better deception. People would assume I’d be still out of commission after a fight because I still looked like a received a pavement facial from the day before, when in reality I was more than ready and able to keep going.

Tonight would be no different. 

I laid there in silence for what seemed like hours, my eyes closed but still very much awake, waiting for my fellow inmates to be deep enough in dreamland for this to work. Eventually, I could hear the snores and deep, even breathing I was listening for and took that as my cue.

Without opening my eyes, I ever so slightly lifted the hand resting on my stomach, and stretched my fingers out slowly. The temperature in the room dropped a degree or two, and I then turned my hand minutely as I tensed my fingers and curled them back in a bit. I didn’t need to open my eyes to know the creatures I’d crafted from the shadows were waiting poised near me, silent as death. The were imposing entities about seven feet tall and made of smoky shadows and darkness, humanoid, but with long angular limbs, hands tipped with long razor sharp claws, and leering grins made of spiny teeth. As always, I could feel their presence in my mind, three of them, awaiting orders. Smiling lightly to myself, I mentally relayed my instructions to them.

My shadow creatures shot over to my roommates, especially the three assholes that decided it was a good idea to beat on the newbie. I twitched my fingers and any fraction of light that reached into the cell was wholly extinguished, plunging it into darkness and blocking anyone from seeing in. Another finger twitch thickened the darkness into a temporary, soundproof wall along the entire perimeter of the cell, like a second skin. Couldn’t have the guards or the other prisoners hearing the onslaught.

And so I waited.

At first it started with just a few surprised grunts as each inmate sharing my cell were awoken, but it quickly escalated to shrieks of terror and pain. While everything was pitch black, my powers allowed me to see near perfect in the dark, so I could have a front row seat to the chaos. I lifted my head and slowly got myself propped up on my elbows. The scene unfolding before me was glorious, to say the least.

I made sure that my orders included that my creatures were not to kill the other prisoners, merely just rough them up. But I will say I still didn’t want to be in their shoes at this moment. My Shadows were darting back and forth between the other prisoners, slashing with clawed hands, or just full on barreling into them at full speed. Their victims twisted and turned every which way, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of their attackers, but they could find nothing. They’d have a short moment of reprieve, think they had the upper hand, and then again get knocked down or thrown to a wall or receive another few scratches. 

Soon enough, they were all laying on the floor, either quietly groaning from the pain, or in silence from being knocked out. Once I was sure the inmates wouldn’t be paying attention, I hauled myself to my feet and mentally called my Shadows back over. A slight flick of the hand made two of them vanish. I now looked upon the third. 

~You know what needs to be done now~, I spoke through my mind, and gave a slight smile. ~Just not too deep.~

I could feel the reluctance from the creature, but I gave it an assured nod. The Shadow shot forward, slamming its elbow into my lower ribs, a dulled cracking sound being plainly heard. As I doubled over and gave a grunt of pain, it slashed its claws across my face, leaving three bleeding lines across my right cheek. I knew it would be suspicious if I were to be the only one seemingly untouched from this special attack. The creature stepped back to its original position, patient for any more instruction. I looked up from my hunched over position.

~You all have served me well as always, thank you~, I nodded at the Shadow, who bowed its head towards me.

Struggling to remain upright, I gave a light wave of my hand in front of me, ending it in a fist. The last Shadow faded away along with the wall of solid darkness I had constructed. As my legs weakened and I dropped to one knee, my eyes shot around the area, noting the lack of guards as well as any movement from the other cells.

Except for one. 

The lone tenant in green had sat up in his bed and was facing my cell, hands clasped and elbows resting on his knees, the same look of questioning and curiosity painted across his face. We locked eyes momentarily, long enough to see the barest hint of concern flit across his features as my body quit trying to hold me upright any longer, and I fell back on the floor, facing the blank ceiling once again. I lifted my hand to my face, running a featherlight touch across the new lines marring my skin, the dripping blood now drying. Potentially new scars to add to the collection. 

I could feel the Man in Green’s gaze remain upon me and the cell for a while longer, until finally turning away to his business again. I didn’t like the scrutiny. It led to questions. And then possibly more questions. Questions that I didn’t necessarily feel inclined to answer. Which then led to problems. In conclusion, personally, it was better to be invisible or ignored. 

————————————————————————————————————

It had finally reached that blessed time of day where the sun sets, and even the rowdiest of the other prisoners become silent as the grave as sleep settles over the entire kingdom. The only time Loki could ever seem to finally have some peace and quiet. 

Nightfall had always been his favorite time, even before everything in his life, in a way, had shattered around him. Everything would seemingly come to a halt as people paused their lives just long enough for them to rest, at least until first morning light. With the darkness came silence as well as a sense of calm and truce. No one was expected to be anyone at this time. Not poor, not rich, not a servant, not nobility, not a commoner, nor even a prince. No pretenses or titles. Just...... beings. It was an easier time in life.

Granted, it was more difficult to keep this mindset completely intact when one was currently stuck in a prison cell. But Loki did his best nonetheless. So while most others were already fast asleep, he was still wide awake, lying in his bed and contemplating a multitude of different things at once. Things he knew he wouldn’t get to properly think through once the first light of dawn shone, and the prison became a hectic, ever-busy machine again. However, this also meant he was the only one to notice when something off were happen, such as this night in particular. 

Loki knew that his cell, along with all the others, prohibited him from using his sorcery outside its confines, but given his level of sheer power, he could still at least sense other sources of magic used in the general area. So when the temperature dropped in only one cell, it snagged his attention. 

Loki sat up and turned to face the cell in question, feet on the ground, elbows resting on his knees. As soon as he did, he noticed it was the cell that was given the new inmate, the threat-promising demon of a girl. But he was surprised to see that instead of a view of her and the other prisoners, there was only pitch black darkness, and the darkness itself...... shifted. The dark was alive, or some version of it. Loki could neither see nor hear a thing, and that put him in a state of vague unease.

So he waited. 

Only about 5 minutes had passed when suddenly the black dissipated, leaving quite a scene behind it. Claw marks and blood splatters decorated the walls and floor here and there. The prisoners were strewn around the cell, collapsed on the floor from seemed to be a mixture of exhaustion and pain, each one with their own set of growing bruises and various bleeding claw marks. Quite a sight to behold.

Loki’s calculating gaze had only just enough time to take this all in, when his attention was grabbed by the only movement in the room. The new girl. The only prisoner still somewhat on her feet and was currently next to the wall closest to his own cell. He saw that as that wall of darkness had faded, another separate piece of it had faded as well, right in front of the girl. Loki didn’t see the whole thing, unfortunately, but he could tell it was a creature of some sort. This added to his unease. How did this demon breach this high security, Asgardian prison? Did someone send it? Or....... did someone summon it?

As these questions floated around his mind, the girl fell hard onto one knee, an arm wrapped protectively around her middle, possibly due to injury. Her back was to him, but as she turned her head to look around the compound, Loki noticed two things. One, she had acquired her own clawed injuries to the right side of her face, and two, there wasn’t one trace of panic in her eyes. There was nothing but serious calm and focus. This wasn’t someone frantically searching for more danger, but a predator checking for more prey.

As she continued to sweep her gaze through the room, blood dripping down her face, Loki came to a conclusion that he was fairly confident was the correct one. Her eyes eventually made it to his cell, where they locked onto his own, realizing she did in fact have an audience. If she was surprised, she didn’t show it, merely stared him down for a brief moment, silently daring him to call for someone. He didn’t of course, he merely stared back, his curiosity still in place.

The girl suddenly tensed, her jaw and neck muscles taut, their staredown broke when her eyes screwed shut, and she finally fell over the last couple feet to the floor and onto her back. Loki’s hand moved to the edge of his bed, to maybe push himself up, a brief feeling of concern flashed through his mind when he realized that while on the outside she looked far better than the others, her internal injuries must be far worse than at first glance. However, he relaxed back onto the side of the bed for he knew there really was nothing he’d be able to do anyway. He decided to just watch for a moment longer, and after seeing her lift her hand to touch the new gashes in her face, he finally turned away to lay back in his bed.

He knew his assessment earlier that day had been correct: this certainly would be someone to be wary of of, and maybe even ally with. The coming morning was certainly going to be interesting.

————————————————————————————————————

Sleep had come rather quickly. However, it felt like I had barely closed my eyes when I was rather abruptly awakened by the angered yells of the guards. 

“What the hell happened in here?” The lead guard growled.

The rest of the guards were walking amongst the inmates in the cell I was in, inspecting the damage. The others were in various stages of pain and shock. There were gouges in the wall, and streaks and drops of blood here and there, in reds, blues, and purples. Even some rock shards from the Kronan. But nothing remotely fatal. And I’ll admit, I was much better off with only a few scrapes, and a couple cracked ribs that I could feel were already healing. The prisoners were all being interrogated by the einherji guards as to who attacked them, looking for someone to punish more than likely. But each person had the same answer of “I don’t know”. Except one. 

Lizard Breath. 

Fuck. He’s nocturnal. How did I not consider that? I’m losing my touch being in here for so long. 

“I sssaw something...... sssussspicious,” quiet smugness dripping on every word. It caught the one guard’s attention.

“What was it, reptile?” He walked in closer to the green-tinged inmate.

The lizard-man slowly grinned, dried blood that had run from the corner of his mouth, and sporting a couple nasty, bleeding slashes across his chest and arm.

“It wasssss...... the darknessss..... that is responssssible..... but also.... a human....” he ground out lowly. Guess that narrowed it down considerably, for the guard’s irritated glare shot over to me, still propped up against the far wall. 

“What did you do, human?” His armored feet pounded the ground as he marched my way, his tongue spitting out the last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

“What proof is there that I actually did anything? Besides the word of a physically, and maybe mentally, compromised criminal?” I blinked, quirking up the corner of my mouth, I tried a play of innocence, as always. He narrowed his eyes further. Maybe not.

“He said it was the fault of a human. You happen to be the only human here, in this cell.”

“Am I? That’s strange, I would’ve bet money that there’d be at least ONE other human in here. I mean, sometimes it’s so hard to tell, since you guys look identical to us.”

In hindsight, probably not the best thing I could’ve said, but I couldn’t help it. Too easy. The gods, the asgardians, whatever, didnt always particularly appreciate being compared to the “inferior humans”.

The guard clenched his jaw (he was gonna break it at this rate), and roughly grabbed my injured arm, hauling me upright and half-tossing me to the middle of the cell. As he turned his spear on me, the few other guards with him followed suite. There was no possibility this was gonna end well. What else was new?

“You humans — You hold no respect for those superior to you, those who hold more power,” the leader growled, anger seething in his eyes. I sighed inwardly. Might as well go big or go home. Home probably meaning the afterworld in a few minutes. 

My eyes darkened, and my lips curled into a small but terrifying smile as my voice lowered. “Who said you had more power than I?”

My fingers curled slightly and from the ends curved long, metallic talons made of razor sharp shadow, the shadows themselves winding up my forearms in smudges and swirls. My spine arched slightly as a weight grew from back in the form of huge, membranous wings, crafted from the very night itself, their shape ever-shifting, never completely solid, akin to black smoke. Rolling my shoulders, I reveled in the feeling of the two familiar limbs, it had been so long since I was last able to use them. The einherjar all wisely took a half step back.

“Harsh words will only get you so far, buddy,” I snarled, teeth still bared in a grin. “Perhaps we humans don’t always respect those more powerful than ourselves, you’re probably right. But it’s because we know the value of our own strength. And because we know that respect is something that you earn, not take. And hunny....... you haven’t earned mine.”

I took a step toward the lead guard, who now looked nervous. I turned to the other three, looking for a weak link. There. The one nearest the door looked about ready to bolt and run for cover. Scared new recruit? I stalked closer.

“You don’t look quite ready to die yet, correct?” Snarling quietly, I still kept that unsettling smile on my face. Through the helmet, I could see just how young this boy was.

“N-no...... but.... my..... my duty is to protect Asgard, and if that entails me dying a bravely while doing so then...... then so be it,” he spoke in a near whisper, voice trembling ever so slightly. I doubted he’d last very long working in this particular prison.

“Spoken with such...... naivety,” I blinked, and the moment my eyes reopened, I knew they were now entirely black. The boy flinched. I rounded back on their leader.

“Take your best shot....... if you can.”


	4. Short-Lived

It took a great deal to get Loki’s undivided attention, and a great deal more to impress him in some way. But that is the exact word he would’ve used to describe how he was feeling when he woke from his slumber in enough time to witness the events unfolding in the cell nearby. The new girl’s cell.

The new girl, who was no longer just a girl anymore. 

What stood poised in the middle of that cell was nothing short of a demon. A hellbeast spun from shadow and given life. Razor sharp claws forged from the dark extended from her finger tips, the inky black then curling its way up her arms. Her bare feet now also adorned with glittering black talons and smudged with darks swirls. And the wings. Her wings were both awe- and fear-inspiring. Ever-shifting shades of black, a quiet, ordered chaos resting between her shoulders. 

The girl stood poised, and while her hands appeared relaxed, it was clear that every muscle in her body was prepared for the oncoming attack. She had given up on using her snark and pretenses, and was now speaking in such a tone that perfectly matched her new form. As he watched her threaten and attempt to terrify a guard, Loki felt his eyebrows raise when her narrowed eyes flickered from a (Y/E/C) to entirely and utterly black, as dark and deep as any pit in Hel. She smiled and spoke once more, before folding her wings back, preparing for a fight.

And a fight she got.

It was the fight that ensued that truly impressed Loki. The cell became the only thing containing what he could only describe as a hurricane. The girl moved with an almost inhuman speed once the lead guard threw the first hit, swinging his spear towards her head. She dropped to the floor, catching herself on her hands in such a way that allowed her to immediately swing her right leg around, slamming her shin into the side of his knee. The muted crack that resounded was easily heard all the way over in Loki’s cell, the guard dropping to the one knee. The girl, however, hadn’t stopped moving, her momentum allowing her to spin fully around while rising, her right arm raised, as she ended her pirouette with her fist connecting with the man’s temple, completely knocking him out. 

Loki stood at this point and leisurely strolled to the edge of his cell, hands clasped behind his back. This was some of the most intriguing entertainment since his squabble with the Avengers back on Midgard many weeks ago.

Another guard charged toward her exposed back. Sensing the attack, the girl flared her wings as she leaped up and back at the last minute, flipping gracefully over the guard, now running past her, and landing in a crouch. She then propelled herself forward and slammed her shoulder into the guard’s back, consequently ramming him into one of the walls he was now facing, leaving the man to slide to the ground, also unconscious. The whole ordeal lasted only a few seconds.

She turned slowly, first to note the other prisoners in the cell remaining scrunched together against the farthest wall in shock, and then on to face the remaining two guards, the unsettling smile curving back onto her lips.

“You call that your best?” Loki heard her scoff, still waiting to see how the last two would proceed.

Loki smirked and fought back a chuckle as one of the guards, the one that the girl had spoken to last, he noticed, turned and bolted out of the cell, and continued down the hall until he was out the door. The girl, however, did in fact laugh.

“Asgard’s finest! Exactly as how I always remember them,” she let out a low laugh, pretending to wipe a nonexistent tear from her eye. The statement once again drew Loki’s curiosity. What did you mean by “always remember”? Surely you weren’t referring to a single incident, such as your evident arrest? How many times had you crossed paths with the einherjar?

The last guard grunted as he threw his spear at her, aimed right at her heart. Quick as lightning, the she-demon merely twisted her body to the left at the last second, simultaneously grabbing the weapon in her right hand before it could completely pass her. Another grin appeared as she turned back, twirling the spear between her fingers with an ease of someone who possessed some semblance of training. Resting the end of the weapon on the ground, she turned to the guard.

“I must admit, I’m disappointed. I was hoping for mor-“ the girl’s words cut off with a gasp, her devilish grin dropping off her face, and her eyes blinked back to their original color, but which were now slightly widened in both surprise and offense.

Loki had been so completely invested in the fight, that, for once, even he himself had failed to notice that the third guard who had run off had returned with more of his comrades, one of which was standing in the cell doorway, some sort of compact crossbow in his hands. It was still steadily aimed at the girls exposed back, which Loki now noticed had a dart sprouting from it, right around her shoulder. A sedation dart. 

The girl swayed ever so slightly, her grip on the spear loosening until it slid from her fingers and clattered to the cell floor. The same fingers which were now returning back to that of a human, the claws shrinking back until all that was left were harmless fingernails, the same happening to her feet. The shadow patterns decorating her arms and legs bled down towards her fingers and toes, like ink being drawn from water, until they faded altogether. Her magnificent wings merely dissipated from existence, just like the smoke they so imitated. 

She turned, slowly, and faced the guard her shot her, now becoming even more off balance as the drug sprinted through her veins.

“Well played,” she breathed, the ghost of a smile gracing her face.

It disappeared, though, as Loki witnessed her fall to her knees for a second time, until she fell back completely limp upon the floor. No longer a demon, but just a mere girl again.

His interest faded as the guards marched into the cell to transport her elsewhere, and he strolled to his lone chair to continue his book, with today’s entertainment at a close.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The only kind of darkness that I didn’t particularly prefer was one that was not of my own making. For example, maybe, a drug induced sleep. 

It was murky in this dreamscape, the shadows slipping through my fingers like sand, an oddity for for me. I trudged along, every movement sluggish, my limbs feeling uncharacteristically heavy. There was nothing here but dark shadow and smoke. Shadow that I couldn’t manipulate or shape or move. I didn’t even know what I was standing on. There was no rhyme or reason to this place, no familiarity that I would usually have amongst such a setting.

But as is with all dreams, I knew there had to be a reason for it, so I kept going.

And going. 

And going. 

Nothing. 

No walls, no obstacles, nothing. Just the shadows flowing around me as I walked, like some cross between smoke and water. I gave up at this time, because what’s the point in this now? I resigned myself to sit where I had stopped and just wait for the drug to release its hold on me, and for me to wake up. This make take a while.

I had no concept of time here, but it didn’t seem too long after that a voice started speaking. A young man’s voice. One that was all too familiar to me. One that I’d never thought I’d hear again.

“You’ve let me down,” the disembodied voice sighed. The voice wasn’t loud, it didn’t shout or yell, but the sound of disappointment hit harder than any volume. I jumped back up to my feet.

“No! No, I avenged you! I was willing to rot in prison for you, and I’ve never complained, not once! What could you possibly mean?” I don’t know where I should’ve directed my argument, so I just spun in a circle, searching for the face I so desperately wanted to match to the voice, the face I so desperately wished to see.

“You may have avenged me, yes, but I didn’t ask for that. I didn’t ask for you to be incarcerated, I never would have, especially not on my behalf. But I gave you my gifts, and yet you refuse to use them. And you could still be a free person out there as well. But you chose to further darken your path and ignore the possibilities of those gifts. And here you are. A prisoner,” there was not only disappointment in the voice, but pain. That was a tone that I never wished to hear in that voice.

“How could I live as a free person and also carry the unspoken agony of what happened? How could I ever be able to freely use your gifts without the feeling of betrayal of using something that was so personal to you, after what happened? I couldn’t...... I...... I won’t....... I won’t do that. Not to you. Not to your memory,” defeat and shame flowed over me in waves, my head dropping. “I had no reason to live a life of freedom if you were not beside me to share it.”

The voice sighed again, this time with resignation. Suddenly, I felt a hand lightly rest upon my face, and gently wipe away the tear and I didn’t realize had fallen. A quiet sob escaped my chest as I leaned into that hand, the familiar touch that I missed dearly. I lifted my head and looked into the set of eyes whose color matched my own, but while I knew mine to be empty and mistrusting, his were warm and welcoming, as they always were. He spoke once more, this time with firm sincerity.

“Do not continue to dwell on my fate, and forget to live.”

I didn’t know how to answer, I couldn’t answer. As I continued to stand there, I felt his hand leave from my face, his presence gone, leaving me cold and numb once again, just as the first time.

I’m not one to cry, not really, but I sank back to my knees in the darkness as a few more silent tears fell down my face, dripping onto the hands resting in my lap.

The dreamscape was now ever so slowly starting to fade, the darkness shifting into nothingness, and for some reason my body felt as though it was filled with static. I must be finally waking up.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Without opening my eyes, the first thing I noticed as I started coming to was that i must not have been moved back into my small stone cell. The ground beneath my body was perfectly smooth, and not as cold as stone. It wasn’t as quiet either. There were sounds of conversations and various squabbles being spoken in the vicinity.

Cracking my eyes open was an effort in itself. What the hell was even in that sleep dart? First thing I saw was the blank white ceiling. Again. Didn’t even need to look at the rest of my surroundings to know where I was at that point. I was still in the higher security cell I’d been transferred to. 

Groaning as I pushed myself up into a sitting position, I felt a couple tears run down my face, leftover from the dream. Embarrassing. Hurriedly wiping them from my face, I glanced around only to realize that while I was still in one of the bigger cells, I was the only tenant this time. My ex-roommates were now across the hallway now. They’d stayed. I’d moved. A small smile spread across my face. Maybe my plan hadn’t completely failed after all.

“Ah, so it would seem my new neighbor is alive after all. Astounding,” a nearby voice drawled.

I whirled around into a crouch, searching for the source of the sound. My new cell now shared a wall, another golden energy barrier, with the young man that I’d cataloged earlier. 

The Man in Green.

He was sat in a simple chair near the shared wall, legs crossed and a book resting on his lap, his attention solely on its pages. After a moment, he finally looked up and turned his head to face me, his eyes just as clear a green as when I’d first seen them. The slightest of smirks alighted upon his face when seeing my defensive spot on the floor.

“Hello darling.”


	5. Games and Deceptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: hi there! Here’s the next chapter, I’m not entirely sure if it’s too long or too short, but I wanted to have it so more conversation was saved for another chapter, due to it being about different subjects and such. Also, I’ve rcieved so many nice and lovely comments regarding this particular fic of mine, and I want to thank all of you who left comments, it’s my absolute favorite thing to see, it’s one of the main things that gives me motivation to continue writing, let’s me know that maybe I’m actually maybe pretty okay at this. And thank you for all the kudos that have been left as well, it all means a whole hell of a lot to me <3

“Hello darling.”

Sizing him up, I remained in my crouched position. Now that I was closer, and the longer I looked, the more familiar the man became. I knew this man, I’d seen him somewhere, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember from where. No doubt it’ll hit me later. I wasn’t sure what to do or say at this point, it was clear he was different than the other inmates. I’d need time to think around this one. Apparently my silence was wearing on him.

“Absolutely scintillating conversation, I must say, I’m not sure what else I expected from a human,” he scoffed, but smiled briefly, not completely serious in the insult.

I had to bite my tongue from retorting to the “human” comment. He knew saying it would get on my nerves, and I refused to let him get a rise out of me. I went a different route. Relaxing out of my crouched form, I sat back upon the ground and stretched my legs out in front me, leaning back on my hands.

“Ah, well. What can I say? We humans are usually told never to talk to strangers, so.....” I trailed off, leaving the words hanging in the air. Tilting my head, I narrowed my eyes at him ever so slightly, silently daring him to make another comment. 

He smirked at this, looking down at his hands folded in his lap before answering.

“Believe it or not, I have heard of such a rule in my...... travels,” he chuckled, but a brief shadow flickered over his features, as if remembering something less than savory. But it was gone almost immediately, his face smoothed back into one of calm snark.

“A bit cryptic, but alright. Seeing that I’m now stuck here, who do I have the honor of calling my new prison buddy?” I smiled. A name would hopefully help me recognize this man faster. Then I’d be getting somewhere.

“Really? You do not know who I am?” The man sounded genuinely surprised, eyebrows raised a fraction.

“Two things,” holding up my hand, I counted them down. “One, I’ve been in this ever-so-lovely prison for the past five years. I’m not exactly kept up to date, and in here we don’t really have a circulating newspaper of current events.” He smiled at that.

“And two, before my time being a jailbird, my lifestyle didn’t exactly enable me to keep up with a lot of stuff either. Things slipped through the cracks,” I put my hand back down. “However, I will admit you look extremely familiar, so I’m sure your identity will come to me at some point.”

“I do very much hope you see the irony of someone who’s so acquainted with the shadows, to also be figuratively in the dark,” a snicker escaped him. “I do happen to know firsthand just how quickly gossip can travel in this very kingdom, so forgive me for not entirely buying into your excuse.”

“Fair enough. I will admit I more heard snippets of news and stories here and there, enough to deem worthy for my own use and survival. But I did not always have the faces and minute details going with big city news. I only put extensive research into the things I needed to know, and most town gossip between merchant wives was not usually included.”

“Unfortunate,” he hummed. “I do feel sorry enough towards your lack of basic knowledge that I shall give you a hint-“

“How generous of you,” I grumbled. He narrowed his eyes a moment at the interruption before continuing.

“I used to live in the palace.”

I loosed a laugh. “Well that narrows it down! Hundreds of people live in the palace.”

“Yes. But how many do you know of that have recently fallen out of favor with the royal family, so far as to land them in this decrepit place?” He leaned toward me more, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair. He seemed well-driven to make sure I knew of him, like there was power associated with his identity. I had now remembered exactly who he was, the pieces finally falling into place, but I decided to string him along and see how far I could keep this up.

“I literally just said a moment ago that big city news wasn’t always guaranteed to reach me. Palace news even less so. It wasn’t that important at the time,” relaxing further into the floor, I was now leaning back on my elbows. 

“Really now? ‘Not that important’?

“Meh......it just depends. Some was useful. Some was not. How about, instead of you giving away your hints that only you yourself would understand, I now ask questions that fit into my humble cache of knowledge?” I stared at him questioningly, daring him to refuse.

He hesitated, but finally responded, “very well,” before leaning back in his chair again, breaking eye contact to zone out on a wall. Grinning like the cheshire cat, I launched into a cross examination.

“Fantastic. Were you a servant?”

“Absolutely not,” He scoffed, as if offended. “And why would a servant be imprisoned in one of these particular cells?”

“Ah, so nobility then?”

“You could say that.” He smirked again, but this time there was a dark undertone.

Grinning slyly, I kept going. “Now what noble in their right mind would jeopardize their lavish lifestyle of high quality comforts and riches? Doesn’t make much sense to me.”

He narrowed his eyes, his voice nearing a growl. “You will come to find that a home made of gold and embellished with lies is not as comfortable as you seem to delude yourself into thinking.”

Dropping my smile I stared him down. “Maybe. But having a home with a family and caring friends and a solid roof over your head and food always on the table is much more than a solid portion of your people have....... Prince Loki.”

He seemed taken aback, as if he didn’t actually believe I’d figure it out. He composed himself before speaking again. “And how quickly did you solve it?”

“Your first ‘hint’,” I groaned, pulling myself to my feet; my arms were getting sore. Ambling closer, I leaned into one of the corners of our shared wall, sliding to the ground again. I winced when doing so - I guess my ribs were still mending. “You’ll forgive me, Your Highness, if I don’t trouble myself with bowing.”

Tilting his head, Loki stared quizzically at me. “And yet you felt it necessary to go into an interrogation anyway?”

“Again, forgive me, but to be fair this is in fact my first real conversation in several years,” I chuckled. “I think I’m allowed some fun. Successfully pushing the buttons of the God of Jokes, certainly qualifies.”

“God of ‘Mischief’, thank you” he corrected off-handedly, like a knee-jerk reaction. “You solved my identity with one hint, barely even a good one at that, and yet you insist upon your ignorance towards a great deal of common knowledge.”

I smirked, rolling my eyes. “Newsflash buddy, you don’t own the monopoly on deception. I lied. It’s something I’m immensely good at it. I even find it entertaining at times, such as now.” This seemed to surprise him further.

“You had even me fooled. Color me impressed,” I daresay he actually looked proud even.

“Now that I’ve given up the facade, I guess I might as well tell you the truth, there’s no point not to,” I laughed.

“If you so feel inclined,” Loki responded, but gesturing for me to continue.

“I actually do hold quite a wealth of knowledge. It was part of my job, my survival, to know absolutely everything and everyone I could,” I paused, smiling. “And I was very good at my job.”

“And, pray tell, what was this job of yours?”

“I’m surprised you don’t perhaps recognize me. I thought I had built quite a name for myself out there,” I quipped.

“It’ll be your turn to forgive me now, for I myself have been out of the loop of most asgardian news for the last few years, my dear,” he looked away as he chuckled. “You’ll have to provide me with a hint.”

“I think I’ve already given you quite a few, literally just a minute ago!” I snorted. “Now it’s your turn to guess.”

“So be it,” Loki now turned somewhat more serious, as if actually digging for an answer. “A thief?”

“At times, maybe, but no. Not my main career.”

“Hmm....” he tapped his finger against his chin slowly, looking almost stumped. “Skilled and seasoned liar, a walking bank of knowledge...... a crime lord perhaps? You seem misleading enough for it.” 

I fully laughed out loud now. “Hell no. But I guess you are at least in the right ballpark.”

“I concede then. How about another hint as to your profession?”

A sly grin spread across my face once again.

“How about you try: assassin?”


	6. Sharing is Caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: SUMMER IS HERE I AM FREEEEEEEE or at least for now haha….. spring semester is finally done, but I just applied to my potential first job, so I’ll be waiting to hear back on that front yAY please wish me luck :) But now that summer is here, I’m hoping I can write a bit more often. For the most part, I’m happy with this chapter, enough to post it finally, so I hope you all enjoy it too <3

“Assassin you say?” Loki raised his eyebrows, as if that was not the answer he was expecting. 

“Indeed. And a rather well known one as well,” I laughed. 

“If you have such fame, then you must have a name to go with it,” said more as a statement than a question. 

I smiled, more to myself, as a pushed my aching body back to it’s feet again, hand still clutching my side. Laying on the floor was not helping me.

“How about I give you one last hint, a reminder,” I murmured as I shuffled a few feet away. Turning back around, I faced the corner I had just been sitting in. Giving a lazy, tired wave of my free hand, the minimal amount of shadow to be found in the room started sliding slowly like a serpent across the floor and ceiling of my cell, until it reached the corner I faced. It pooled together, in a fashion not unlike smoke from dry ice would, and started forming the basic shape of a bed. A “cot” would actually probably be a more accurate word for it. Just looking at it, the shadows curled like smoke around the edges, making it seem like the cot wouldn’t be a solid thing. But I knew better. The smallest finger twitch then created a single pillow.

As I lowered myself onto my latest creation, albeit a bit painfully, I managed to aim a slight smirk in the prince’s direction. Understanding slid over his features as he sat up a bit straighter and sighed through his nose.

“You’re the infamous Shadow. The assassin that could never been found, slipped through fingers like smoke. Whose witnesses swore could fold the darkness around herself like a cloak.”

The words weren’t said with awe, but more as though they were common known facts to be recited. But I could see a hint of confusion behind those green eyes.

“The one and only,” I sighed. He cocked his head to the side.

“Unless my memory deceives me, weren’t you one half of a whole? A duo?” Loki tapped a slender finger against his chin, I couldn’t tell if he was honestly trying to remember or just acting. He snapped his fingers after a moment when my mouth remained shut. “Ah, yes. Lumen. Your counterpart.”

I stared tensely at the ceiling, my silence apparently spurring him on. 

“Possesses powers the opposite of your own, I believe. Light manipulation? Wherever might he be these days? He wouldn’t happen to still be ‘at large’, out and about, collecting more contracts and pay in your absence?” My teeth ground together, yet he kept going, like a leaky faucet with no shut off. “Oh dear, don’t tell me he too got himself caught-“

“Kinda hard to be arrested when you’re dead,” I snapped, cutting the prince off, bitterness dripping from each word like poison. At least he finally shut up.

I didn’t know what he was now doing, for I still kept my eyes on the ceiling. But the silence lasted several moments before Loki spoke again.

“..... my apologies for speaking so bluntly. I meant no ill will,” a low but sincere tone coming from him. More out of surprise at his words than anything else, I turned my head towards him, an eyebrow raised.

“An apology? From the great Prince Loki?” My voice forming a laugh as a I spoke the words, I rolled my head back to continue staring at the blank white space above me. “The world must be ending and no one told me.”

“Believe it or not, I am in fact capable of remorse and the rare apology,” I heard him scoff. “I do know what it feels like to lose a comrade. I have been around a long while.”

There was enough sincerity alongside an undertone of past pain in his voice that I murmured a thank you. A few more moments of silence stretched out until being broken by him, again.

“Given your reaction, as well as your profession, would it be correct to assume you were close?”

I sighed. “Very much so.”

“Lovers?”

I scoffed, letting out a short but loud peal of laughter. “God no. Not even close.” 

I hesitated before saying anything else once more, but this time Loki stayed quiet, as if giving me however much time needed to answer. Yet another sigh escaped me.

“Lumen was my brother. My twin, actually. His real name was Gabriel. Named for the archangel. Little did my parents know just how fitting a name it’d become,” I chuckled quietly, my words tapering off. I hadn’t spoken of him out loud since his death. And that was a while ago.

I had reservations in discussing anything along the line of siblings, specifically brothers, with Loki, for obvious reasons. And yet when I glanced over to his form out of the corner of my eye, he was still sat in his chair, looking pensive and like he was actually listening. I took this as encouragement to add on a bit more.

“We were born on Earth of course, Midgard to you I guess. We were mutants, despite no known family member of ours already being one,” I turned my head slightly to look at him again for a moment. “I don’t know how much you know about mutants, but they’re humans who possess something called ‘the X-gene’ which allows them to manifest any kind of superhuman powers around their teen years.”

I faced ahead again, but as I started back on my story, I lifted my right hand and mindlessly twirled and curled my fingers in the air, creating swirls and vague shapes out of the little wisps of shadow between them. Tears started to prick my eyes the more I spoke.

“I guess us being twins played a key part in us receiving powers that were the exact opposite to the other. One dark. One light,” my fingers turned, creating moon and sun shapes. “I’ll give you one guess as to who slowly became the favorite child after that,” I could hear Loki shift in his seat at this, but I kept going.

“Despite that, there was never any animosity or jealousy between us. Time went on, and we started to hone our powers. During this, we discovered two things. The first was that learning and mastery came very easily to us,” I paused before continuing. “The second was that we did not age the same or as quickly as those around us.”

I stilled my hand briefly. “I ‘celebrated’ my 237th birthday five months ago,” I went back to fiddling with the wispy shadows. “And yet I look the age of a young adult on our planet.”

“Well, I was about to say that you don’t look a day over 90, but please, continue,” Loki spoke up finally, but I heard the smile in his voice.

“If knowledge serves correctly, you’re not one to talk, old man,” I shot back, my mouth betraying me by tugging up in a small smile.

“Fair enough,” he chuckled. He then became serious again. “You’re welcome to keep going if you so wish, but I won’t push you farther than you would want.”

I let out another small sigh. “I think I’ll at least finish on how we even got to Asgard, and leave it at that for today. Share sessions are not my favorite activity.”

I saw Loki gesture with his hand as encouragement to keep going, and after taking a steadying breath, I did just that.

“We watched as our family faded away around us as years and years went by. We grew and matured to adults in regular time, but then we stayed there. So I looked as I do now when we reached our early 20s,” a weak laugh escaped me. “Once our family had all passed on, we decided that maybe, with our talents and now lack of personal ties, we should try the hero thing.

“We donned our alternate names, made some semblance of suits, and did the best we could. What we didn’t initially know, but were quick to learn, was people’s animosity towards mutants,” another twitch of my fingers, and the shapes of an X and a mask formed. “It never mattered how much we helped, how much good we did. We were always hated and feared.”

Loki cleared his throat, sparks of something like familiar discomfort emanating from him. But he didn’t pipe in, so I kept going.

“At some point we’d had enough, and we gave it up, then went into hiding somewhere in some mountain town. The farthest we could get from civilization without actually being cut off from it. But still, not everything lasts. 

“The locals soon figured out what we were, and while a small handful had no issue, the majority of them did. We had no choice but to cut and run, yet again. We grabbed a bag each, and then started making our escape through the nearby forest. And then somehow, about an hour later of being chased down, we found something. The biggest tree you’d ever seen. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my long life.”

“Would I be completely out of line to assume this tree will be playing an important role momentarily?” Loki spoke up finally, a smile clearly on his face as if he knew of the tree personally. I smiled in return, then continued.

“Well I mean, long story short, we went to hide in the hollow at the base, and when we walked out a while later, we found ourselves to be somewhere very different from earth. And so we did what we always did, we made do. The end,” I concluded, solid finality ringing in my last sentence, indicating I would not divulge any further. I lowered my hand, the shadow shapes disappearing from the air above me.

The prince shifted in his seat, interlacing his fingers together and resting his chin upon them.

“The Bifrost is not the only way in and out of Asgard. There exists several other smaller and lesser known doorways scattered throughout the realm. The only real difference they have to the infamous Rainbow Bridge, is that due to their scaled down size, they only lead to one specific place each, rather than just wherever you so choose. You and your brother must have just happened across one of the few that connects this place to Midgard,” he lowered his hands into his lap again. “Where did you end up?”

“I’m still not entirely sure. It was just a section of a heavily forested area,” I sighed. “I tried to find it again for many years, but no such luck.”

“You wished to return to your home?”

“Well..... yes and no. We both wanted to go home at first, of course. But after a long long while of not finding the door or any other, we gave up. We settled. We didn’t know who Heimdall was at first, but later when we did, we realized we couldn’t just go to him for help either. We’d be effectively turning in two unwelcome humans that somehow slipped into Asgard and stayed undetected for years,” I turned my head to glance at him. “You know yourself, it would not have ended well.”

“And so you stayed.”

“And so we stayed.”


	7. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! My apologies for updating as often as most other writers, life gets in the way a whole lot, so I’m not able to write as often as I’d prefer :/ but I’m hope you’re all enjoying this particular work, I absolutely LOVE reading all the comments I’ve gotten for this one, it means a lot to receive them :) as always, please enjoy!

It wasn’t until the next day that we spoke again. And by “we”, I mean His Highness interrupted my usual zoning out at the walls with new inquiries.

“How exactly did you and your brother become the most infamous assassins on Asgard?”

My cot had faded away after I got up that morning, and I was yet again sitting against one of the corners, my back to Loki. Without even turning to look in his general direction, I gave back a deadpan answer.

“Like I said before. The hero thing didn’t exactly work in our favor. We basically hit the restart button by landing here. No personal ties to anyone. We had skill sets that worked in our advantage, so..... voila,” I tried to close my eyes again, zoning out helped the days go by faster. The good news was that my ribs seemed completely healed, and when I snuck a glance in Loki’s mirror earlier, I noticed the claw marks on my face were now just pale scars. Just a few more to add to the collection.

“About that..... ‘skill set’...... of yours,” he hummed. “Exactly what range and kind of powers do you possess?” 

I smirked to myself. “A magician never reveals their secrets.”

“Hmm. I thought you were an assassin,” I could nearly feel him grinning. I shrugged.

“And what’s the difference between the two, really? Both are paid for their abilities. Both require sleight of hand and sneakiness, as well as a unique tool set. They can both make people disappear..... and have unique outfits,” I finally turned to peer over my shoulder and look him dead in the eye. “Only difference is just that one of them is more socially acceptable.”

Loki’s face softened ever so slightly, the grin becoming more humored. “You make a fair point, my dear.”

“All I will tell you - only so you don’t keep asking - is that my powers allow me to tap into and manipulate the elements of darkness,” I smiled to myself, “as angsty as that sounds, that’s pretty much the literal description.”

“And that includes the ability to become a demon from Hel?” he drawled, a smirk in his voice. My smile becoming one that was more mischievous, I turned yet again to look at the prince.

“Maybe I was always a demon. Maybe my powers just allow me to now look the part,” I spoke, raising an eyebrow. “But I know I’m not the only one around here who wears their horns with pride.”

Loki smiled, looking as though he was attempting to hold back a laugh, as he stood and walked away, probably in search of a book. I myself turned back around to continue my staring at the opposite wall, todays conversation at an end.

——————————————————————————-—————————————————————————————————————

Night had once again fallen, and the routine call for lights out was given, the cell block drenched in shadow for my third night in a row down here. The only light source was emanating from the flickering torches spaced on the stonework between each cell.

Now that I was healed and finally back to full health after two days, it was time to take advantage of my new space.

While I didn’t exactly want to be out and about in society, for many reasons, I definitely didn’t want to remain in this prison. Five years seemed enough atonement, to start with at least. 

I never thought I’d be moved from my cramped cell I’d be staying in all these years, but the minute those two guards came to say they were transferring me to one of these bigger cells, a plan started forming in my head. They dropped me in the community cell first. Not what I wanted. So I made myself be a problem towards others, a dangerous one, and voila, I was gifted my own cell. A cell that was incredibly roomy. Big enough to accommodate my powers, my wings.

Big enough to be used as a sparring space.

I waited again for everyone, even Loki, to fall asleep, and then went to work. I stood, and walked to the center of the room. I placed my hands, crossed with palms facing to each side of me, in front of my chest, and slowly pushed them forward. Uncrossing them, palms now facing the ground, I raised them, and as I did so, four walls of shifting black shadow raised around me as a second inner skin to the physical walls of my cell. They worked the same as the ones I made my first night down here, blocking all sight as well as sound from passing through them. But my abilities with this element allowed me to still be able to sense the outside world, should a guard come walking by.

Closing my eyes, I waved my hand in a long, slow arc, ending it in a fist. When I reopened my eyes, two of my Shadows were once again standing before me, my creatures of solid night. I spoke to them collectively.

“It’s been a long while, my friends, but it’s finally time to train again,” I smiled, and they mirrored the expression, and all three of us slipped into fighting stances, waiting for someone to make the first move.

Finally, one of the Shadows shot toward me, and thus began the violent dance I was so familiar with.

It had been five years since I’d last had a real fight, but five years of inactivity for someone who has been training and fighting for nearly 230 is practically the equivalent of a few weeks to anyone else. 

It really was like riding a bike. I fell back into the familiar steps and maneuvers that I had become so well versed in, that it was all practically muscle memory. I dodged and countered and shot kicks and punches that were second nature to me, nearly effortless. My Shadows and I flew and danced around each other for several hours, with me only taking a short break halfway to shift into my more monstrous form for a different level of practice.

I had always trained an equal amount of time without using any of my powers as I did with them, for it was never a guarantee I’d have them at my disposal every time. Some sort of wild card could be thrown, like a spell (or prison handcuffs) that rendered my abilities useless. I was not about to allow myself to have full dependency on them, especially living in a world where magic existed, so I ensured I was an equally skilled fighter without my powers.

About three hours later, I called time. Despite my superhuman levels of strength and endurance, I was worn out. Reverting back again to my more human looking state, I leaned against one of the corners, sliding down the wall until I was fully sitting with my legs stretched out in front me. Panting and sweating, I looked toward my creatures standing nearby, not the slightest hint of fatigue coming off them, and thanked and dismissed them.

I kept the walls up until I had finally caught my breath again. I was too tired to bother creating a cot again, preferring to lay on the cool floor instead after training. Sitting up, I waved my hand in an arc above me, and as I lowered it toward the floor, so did the walls until they had completely vanished.

A quick glance revealed that no one had woken up or noticed use of my powers, no guards alerted. So with that, I laid down facing the ceiling, and let sleep overtake me.

——————————————————————————-—————————————————————————————————————

The rest of the week went by like this, training for several hours in secret during the night, then consequently sleeping half the day, and finally waking for one of the scheduled meal times in early afternoon. Any soreness or minor injury I received during night training was fully healed by the end of each day, in enough time for the next round.

Each meal time, I’d begun to store a portion of the food given to me. I could conjure a patch of shadow, but it was what worked as a sort of “pocket dimension”, something I’d mastered utilizing a long long time ago. I could always access it no matter where I was, and I knew the stored food would come in handy later.

Somewhere in between all this, Loki and I would of course converse in some form or another. Sometimes just the usual casual banter, and other times sharing each of our abilities with the other. I insisted on some form of quid pro quo, which he agreed to. I’d showcase one of my numerous abilities, and he’d do the same. I was the most interested in his ability to replicate himself with magical holograms, as much as he was most interested in my ability to change form. 

Our mutually favorite power was when we discovered the fact we could both conjure weapons out of seemingly thin air. Loki with his actual daggers, and me with crafting dagger-like weapons out of solid shadow. Showing off with target practice in our own cells became a part of daily routine. He became too miffed to continue one particular day when it was revealed I could change my dagger’s trajectory while it was already flying towards its target, just to ensure a perfect bullseye, if it were necessary.

We also, briefly, talked about more personal things. I shared some of the nicer stories that included both my brother and I, and Loki did the same. Though he never said it outright, it was clear he still cared deeply for Thor, no matter how he tried to verbally deny it. The animosity and resentment he held for Odin was all too evident, but also was his love for his mother, Frigga. And honestly I couldn’t blame him. I’d lived on Asgard long enough to form my own similar opinions about its monarchs.

This routine continued on until one week flew into two weeks, and that’s when I finally decided it was as good a time as any.

It was time to escape.


	8. Curiouser and Curiouser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHAPTER!!! Also, after this chapter, the story and setting will start to pick up more, just please be patient and thank you so very very much for the wonderful and kind comments you’ve left, they mean a whole lot :) as always, please enjoy!

In addition to the physical preparations I had taken, two weeks was enough time to have the guard’s routine memorized. The only real hard part would be successfully pulling off a trick I’d never, completely, done before.

Feigning sleep in the corner, I waited until the lights were doused, and then a bit longer until being sure all the other prisoners had fallen into dreamland.

Waiting another minute as the last guard marched out, I slowly sat up off the floor and crept towards the smaller section of the energy wall that mimicked a door.

Placing my hands in front of me, palms facing each other, my fingers curling slightly as I pulled the darkness in my cell toward me. When there was enough to work with, I shaped the shadows into something resembling a dagger. Mine version of daggers were more or less a very slim diamond shape, taperedinto needle-sharp points at both ends. 

I didn’t bother with creating any of my usual soundproof walls because it really wouldn’t matter in a few moments. Slowly and carefully I began shoving the end of the dagger into the bottom corner of the energy door. 

At some point during my time in that first, smaller cell, I had discovered the energy walls that kept us all imprisoned were basically just some form of light. Meaning I could eventually break through them if I so pleased. I’d tested my theory once or twice, more out of boredom to see if I was right than to actually escape, but it was only on a small scale. I found I could make small holes with my shadow daggers, and if I increased their size, it would expand the breach.

But I’d never actually made a hole big enough to walk through.

.... Better late than never, I guess.

I managed to get the shadow dagger halfway through the wall. It took long enough that it was now time for one of the nightly patrolling guards to walk through this section. So, leaving the dagger in the wall, I crept back over to the opposite side of my cell and feigned a deep sleep.

The lone guard eventually made it all the way through our wing and out the doorway at the other end. I silently slid back over to the energy wall and started to work once again.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

After two weeks, the girl still had yet to figure out how light a sleeper Loki was, or even that sometimes he just didn’t sleep altogether. So he knew how she had a habit of waking in the middle of the night, only to encase her cell in utter darkness for some unknown reason. Several hours later, the shadows would dissipate to reveal the girl looking oddly worn out and even more exhausted, maybe even with a minor mysterious scratch here and there. But she always seemed perfectly fine by morning.

Loki never inquired after her about it, but couldn’t decide if he was merely curious, or actually somewhat concerned....

However, tonight seemed different. 

He noticed, as usual, when she “awoke” in the dead of night. Still lying on his bed, he cracked his eyes open just enough to watch as she silently crept over to the door in her cell. Surprisingly, she didn’t drench her cell in darkness this time. Instead, her hands held before her, the assassin seemed to draw the shadows towards her, shaping it between her palms into the form of one of the daggers she always used to compete with him. 

Loki watched on with curiosity as she then hesitated, her brows knitting together ever so slightly as her resolve apparently won over. 

He nearly set upright in.... panic? More curiosity? As she proceeded to turn over the dagger and shove it into the corner of the energy wall. What could she possibly be trying to accomplish?

Loki seemed to hear the coming guard the same time she did, for he watched as she calmly abandoned the knife in the wall and slunk back to her original spot on the floor, and feigned sleep once again.

The guard walked on and out the other door, completely oblivious to the shadow dagger. The girl slowly sat back up and gave a quick glance around the cell lock, the expression on her face near identical to the one he’d seen that violent first night she spent down here. Calculating. Determined.

Deeming it all clear, she slid back over to the door. Loki’s head was now fully turned toward her, eyes wide open. She was entirely too engrossed to look over at his cell, and he wanted to see clearly exactly what the Hel she planned on doing.

Brows knitting in concentration yet again, she knelt down and held her hands out toward the dagger still halfway through the energy wall. Palms facing each other, one above one below, fingers slightly curled as they tensed when she began slowly moving her hands further from the other. As she did so, the dagger took more the shape of a block, a cube, as it now began increasing in size.

It was a slow process, and clearly this was not as simple a trick to accomplish, if the bead of sweat now running down the side of her face was any indication.

When the cube of shadow was now roughly the same size as the girl’s crouched form, breathing unsteady and hands shaking somewhat as she finally lowered them, she assessed her work.

Loki had to once again stop himself from sitting bolt upright as the assassin proceeded to literally crawl into the cube of shadow, and emerge from the other end.

Outside her cell.

She’d never revealed that particular ability to him before, he thought to himself, blinking in surprise.

He closed his eyes again, just enough so he could still watch without her knowing. Due to her barefootedness, the girl’s steps were silent as she sped towards the exit. Loki couldn’t quite explain why, but a feeling of sadness pinged briefly in his chest.

However, for whatever reason, she stopped right before going through the archway. Curiously, the girl turned and quietly walked back, coming to a stop right outside his own cell. She seemed to be hesitating, contemplating, and given that time was of the essence in this particular moment, Loki gave up and decided to speak, without moving an inch.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you,” he sighed, a quirked smile appearing, “that it’s rude to stare?”


End file.
